The first campaign for collecting second-hand products through Veepee in Spain has had "a very good reception" among users of the platform for selling brand product stocks. And it has corroborated what this marketplace was already appreciating in France since the end of 2020: "Second-hand makes all the sense in the world because there is a very strong unmet demand that will potentially be even stronger," states Albert Serrano, general director of Veepee Spain.
The platform, focused on the online commercialization of first-brand stocks for a limited period of time ---what is known as flash sales---, launched the first promotion urging consumers to hand in second-hand footwear ---of any brand--- in exchange for a 20-euro discount voucher to buy in Camper stores or on its online channel.
The collection, selection, and recovery for sale of second-hand product "is a business that strengthens Veepee's relationship with our brands at a time when the fashion sector is reflecting on the future of its business model in aspects such as sustainability," adds Serrano, admitting that at Veepee "this product category has come to stay, although 99% of our online offer will continue to be the stock of first brands."
The result has been such that they plan to carry out ten more campaigns this year and are already preparing two for the coming weeks with a major retail brand and a children's fashion brand.
Re-Cycle campaigns are launched as agreements are closed with brands and during the periods that best suit each one, as has been done so far in France. Since December 2020, in the French market, Veepee has carried out about 30 campaigns in fashion, lingerie, footwear, sports, home decor, and jewelry with about 150,000 collected products, totaling 25 tons of clothing and footwear.
The global logistics for managing all the pieces collected in France are carried out in Catalonia. From product reception, selection, washing, drying, and ironing, the entire process is carried out centrally in the warehouse the group has in Santa Oliva (Tarragona), which has been equipped with the necessary washing and drying machinery for the process in a space of up to 2,500 square meters. 20 of the 400 employees at this center, out of a total of 1,300 employees in Spain, have been assigned to this task.
The global logistics of the Re-Cycle business for the entire group is centralized in the Santa Oliva warehouse, in Tarragona"These campaigns have a clear advantage for the customers of our platforms in Spain, Veepee and Privalia, but also for the collaborating brand because, with the exchange of bonuses, it acquires new customers," explains Serrano. He clarifies that "if there is enough critical mass, our priority is always to obtain returns of products from the brand we promote because on the platforms we do not commercialize anything that cannot be identified."
Regarding the purchase process of the properly labeled second-hand product, the customer has the same guarantees, rights, and conditions as for the acquisition of any object, but with discounts of up to 80% on the retail price. On new products "discounts are already very high, around 60%."
Veepee and Privalia work with six major categories: footwear, fashion, sports, gastronomy, travel, and home products. Currently, 80% of sales are through mobile and, as a multi-sector platform, it has several buyer profiles, "but in general terms, the largest number is a 45-year-old woman. Spain is the second most important market for the group, which has a presence in 10 countries and has 7,000 collaborating brands, 66 million members, and 5,500 employees. "We are a pure digital player where 80% of our sales are through mobile."
The innovation center in L'Hospitalet
The general director, Alberto Serrano, also insists on the importance of Veepee Spain in the innovative aspect of the French group that has chosen the facilities in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, where it employs 700 people, to locate its second development center, which will be launched after the summer. "We have started the selection process for young students who will join to acquire new knowledge in advanced technologies and develop ideas, and we already have the first five candidates."
"They have to be able to innovate, to be able to test, they have the right to make mistakes... and then incorporate the best practices into the traditional marketplace business, for which we have been working for years with big data and Artificial Intelligence, but I believe that companies, in general, are still far from appreciating all the potential that this technology has," Serrano states when speaking about the innovation center.